Having a child increases your pay — but only if you're a man

Fathers who work full-time earn a fifth more than men
without children, according to an earnings report by trade union
association TUC.

Mothers in full time work, conversely, experience a wage
"penalty," earning 7% less than women without children when
variations are accounted for.

The report said that this could be down to a number of factors:

"Reasons for the fatherhood bonus are not clear, though it is
likely to relate to hours worked, increased effort and positive
discrimination."

Overall, full-time women earn 34% less than similar full-time men
by the age of 42. The report stressed that the penalty is largely
– but not entirely – associated with the impact of parenthood on
earnings.

Mothers are still much more likely than fathers to be primary
carers for dependent children, and in turn are more likely to
have periods of part-time work resulting in fewer hours and a pay
decrease.

Wage benefits for men didn't just stop at being a fatherly status
though: those with two or more children earn 8% more than similar
fathers with just one child, while for working mothers the number
differential has little impact.

This could be because rich families may decide to have more
children than those with less money, the report said, suggesting
the link was correlative rather than causative.